Friday, November 30, 2007

I am trying to find my old penpal Liz Allium, who used to live in Phoenix and now maybe in Portland? also, I'm trying to find out about places in Phoenix to live - a friend of mine is about to move there to apprentice with a midwife, and where she was supposed to move fell through. does anyone know? anything? that might be helpful???

Thursday, November 29, 2007

photo from near where I've been living for the past few months. where the grass all dies in the summer and the burrs are everywhere so you can't walk off the well worn paths.

what I've been reading: The Gangster We Are All Looking For, by le thi diem thuy. and The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, by Serman Alexie.

what I've been thinking about: how so many people I talk to lately don't read fiction, and how much I've learned from fiction - how important I think it is. I've learned the feeling behind so much history, embodied the knowledge like I don't with pure history. like what it means to live under a violent racism, what life is like under colonialism, what it means to traditional cultures when the kids leave for the citys, what voices have been silenced, what forms they take when breaking out of the silence. I have learned about how people think, how they use reason, how they use emotion, and insights into what I do and how I want to strive to be. and stories that evoke hidden emotion. that teach me places that I need to look deeper. these and a million more things I have learned from fiction.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Ok! I am just finishing putting together a Spanish translation of the Support zine, which is a zine about supporting survivors of sexual abuse. I am hopefully going to be getting some printed up in Mexico for some friends of mine there to pass around, and I could seriously use some help with printing costs. I need to raise about 1,000, so if you can donate, that would be really great. There is a page on my website about donating, at click here to donatethanks!

Saturday, November 10, 2007

please sign this petition to repeal the Hyde Amendment click here for link to the petitionPetition to Repeal the Hyde AmendmentFor nearly 35 years, women in this country have had the right to obtain safe, legal abortion care. However, bans on Medicaid coverage for abortion have taken away the ability of low-income women to exercise this right. Since 1976, the Hyde Amendment has prohibited federal Medicaid funding for abortion in almost all circumstances. The Hyde Amendment is fundamentally unfair:• Medicaid is the government-sponsored health insurance program for low-income people. The program ensures that people are not denied health care simply because they cannot afford it. The Hyde Amendment undercuts this guarantee, denying coverage if the care a woman needs is an abortion. • The Hyde Amendment denies women access to a medical service simply because they are poor. Too often, low-income women are forced to use money meant for rent, utility bills, and food to pay for an abortion. • Due to racial inequalities and the racial distribution of poverty, women of color and immigrant women disproportionately rely on Medicaid for their health insurance. Therefore, the Hyde Amendment especially burdens women of color and immigrant women. 30 YEARS IS ENOUGH! It is time for Congress to repeal the Hyde Amendment and restore Medicaid coverage for abortion. We must close the gap between the legal right to abortion and genuine access to care. I call on my Senators and House members to repeal the Hyde Amendment and ensure dignity and justice for all women.